Sawing Someone in Half Never Gets Old. Even at 100. By Alex Marshall January 29, 2021 LONDON — On Jan. 17, 1921, the magician P.T. Selbit walked onstage at the Finsbury Park Empire in North London with Betty Barker, his assistant, whom he ushered into an upright wooden box. Selbit — whose real name was Percy Tibbles — tied ropes around Barker’s wrists, ankles and neck, and pushed the ropes through holes in the box. Then he called members of the audience to the stage and asked them to pull the ropes tight, so Barker couldn’t move an inch. He sealed the box and laid it flat with the help of assistants, then Selbit got down to business.